A/N: So I've actually had this little plot point planned out for a while but I didn't know how or where it'd fit into the story. The time is now. Enjoy.


Summer was coming and things had been surprisingly good at home for Elliot. He'd tried to be present more. Ever since Liv's encounter with her ex fiance, he'd made it a priority to be home and show his girls how a real man treats the women in his life so they'd never have to wonder if some idiot boy loved them or if he was just playing them to get in their pants. He'd also tried to be more available to Kathy. He knew he didn't appreciate her enough and everything she did to keep the house running, the kids well-behaved, and his mother out of jail or the nuthouse.

Things had been good, but he still couldn't help feeling like prioritizing his family that he was letting Olivia and Chelsea down. He didn't like feeling like choosing one side was neglecting the other. Because he'd taken to considering Olivia and Chelsea his girls too a long time ago, even if he was too afraid to admit it to himself.

He knew Chelsea didn't have a good male role model at home, and it hurt him. It hurt him that she didn't get to experience how a father could really love his daughter the way Maureen, Kathleen, and Elizabeth could. The only thing that kept him from completely losing it was the fact that he knew Olivia was basically Wonder Woman, and she was providing everything Chelsea needed in any way she could. And that had to be enough, because otherwise his hands were tied.

Even though everything had been going well, it surprised him one night after dinner when Kathy brought up plans for Kathleen's birthday party in a few weeks.

"She wants a party with kids from school, but she's begged to go bowling," Kathy said. "And I just don't know if I want to pay for bowling for all my sisters, cousins and their kids. So I was thinking maybe we should let her have two parties this year?"

"Maureen didn't get two," Elliot said.

"Maureen had a sleepover with her three best friends," Kathy said. "She didn't want a family party and a friends party, but Kathleen still does."

"We going to let Lizzie and Dickie have two next year?" Elliot said.

"Well maybe," Kathy said. "One for each of them since they'll be in elementary school and have their own friends. But I was thinking the family party could just be here and casual. We'll cook out, kids can play in the backyard or the basement or whatever. Like we used to have when we were kids."

"I guess that'd be fine," Elliot said. "So who'll it be, us and the kids, my mom, your parents, your sisters and their families, all of your cousins or just some of them?"

"Probably just Charlotte and her kids, and Tony and Denise and their kids," Kathy said. "And I thought if you wanted to invite Olivia and her husband and daughter, or anybody else from your squad you could too."

Elliot almost choked on his beer.

"Why?" Elliot asked, genuinely perplexed. The topic of Olivia, and work in general, was always a sore spot with Kathy, and her offering to invite Olivia and anyone else from work felt like a setup.

"I know I've given you a hard time about your partner in the past," Kathy said. "But I see how hard you've been trying to be home with us and I don't know, maybe working with a woman has made you a little more sympathetic or something. But I think since you've been trying so hard, it's time for me to make a little bit more of an effort to be a part of your world too. So this could be a start."

Elliot was overjoyed for a minute, and then realized everything that could go wrong with Chelsea being around the kids, and Olivia being around Kathy, and his mother just being around. But if he turned her down while she was trying to be nice that would look more suspicious.

"Thanks Kath," Elliot said. "That's really nice of you. But should we ask Kathleen if she's okay with it?"

"Hey Kathleen?" Kathy called into the living room. "Can you come here for a minute?"

Their daughter trotted in from the living room, her blonde ponytail bouncing behind her.

"What's up Mommy?" she asked. "Can you be quick? If I'm not back before my turn Dickie said he's going to take it for me."

"Your Dad and I decided you can have a bowling party and a family party at the house," Kathy said, and Kathleen punched her fist in the air. "We're figuring out who to invite to the family party. It is okay if Dad's partner Olivia and her family come?"

"Sure," Kathleen said. "Isn't her daughter like my age?"

"Almost," Elliot said. "A few months younger."

"Yeah that'd be fun. I want to meet her," Kathleen said.

"Kathleen, Dickie's taking your turn," Lizzie yelled from the living room, followed by "Am not," from Dickie.

"Gotta go," Kathleen said, spinning on her heel and heading back to the living room.

"Looks like she's fine with it," Kathy said. "You can ask her at work or I can call her."

"I'll ask," he said. "But I'm not quite sure of all what activities her daughter's involved in so they might not be able to come."

"Well, check at least, if they can't well we're being hospitable," Kathy said, clearing the rest of the dishes.

The next morning, Elliots palms were sweaty on the drive to work. He didn't know how he was going to approach it with Liv. He knew he could tell her the truth, but what if it sounded like he didn't want her at his house or around his family? That wasn't the case, it was all just too risky. She'd understand that, right? She's the one who wanted to keep it all a secret in the first place?

His heart started to pound as the elevator ticked closer and closer to the squad floor. When it dinged and opened he barely had time to step one foot out and she was pushing him back in by the shoulder.

"Crime scene in the East Village," she said, stepping in beside him and tapping the button for the garage.

When he didn't say anything she turned to him and looked concerned.

"You're sweating," she said. "Are you feeling okay?"

She looked like she was about to reach out and check his temperature with the back of her hand but she stopped herself.

"Yeah, fine," he lied. "Just something I need to ask you."

"Are you asking for a new partner or something?" she said with a smirk.

"No, uh, we're having a birthday party for Kathleen next Saturday," Elliot said. "And Kathy wanted me to ask if you, Chelsea, and Mark wanted to come."

"Kathy, your wife, wanted you to ask if we wanted to come to Kathleen's birthday party?" Olivia said. "Last time I saw her she couldn't wait to get me out of your house fast enough."

"I know," Elliot said. "But she said working with you has mellowed me out and she'd like to try to get to know you better, as an apology or something."

He could see her wheels turning and she processed the information.

"It's Kathleen's party," Olivia said. "Is she okay with it?"

"She's actually really excited," Elliot said. "She remembered we'd told her that your daughter is about her age and she wants to meet her."

"Meet her half, nearly twin sister," Olivia said.

"Yeah," Elliot said.

"And your mom is still living there?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah," Elliot said. "She's been really good. Her six months are almost up, but we might let her stay permanently. She's made a lot of progress and the kids like having her around."

"I know she told you she knows, Elliot," Olivia said.

"She did, couple months after everything happened," Elliot said. "But I'll talk to her. She won't say anything."

"Isn't this a little risky?" Olivia asked.

"It's a lot risky," he said. "But, I'd really like it if you and Chelsea could be more in our lives, in my kids' lives. I hate that everything is so separated. That Chelsea doesn't even know her siblings, even just as friends."

Olivia chewed on her bottom lip.

"Okay," Olivia said. "Chelsea and I will definitely be there and I'll ask Mark. What time does everything start?"

"One," Elliot said. "We'll do burgers and dogs on the grill, kids will play out back on the swingset or whatever. Just picnic style."

"Can I bring anything, besides a gift?" Olivia asked.

"Nah, just you guys," Elliot said.

"What's Kathleen into, or something you guys haven't gotten her yet?" Olivia asked.

"Her latest obsession is some show called Lizzie McGuire?" Elliot said. "It's the only thing she and Maureen can watch together without fighting. I guess there's like clothes and CDs and dolls. Bunch of commodified crap."

"Okay, Munch, thank you," she said. "Chelsea's been watching that lately too. It's a cute show. She'll love picking something out for Kathleen."

"We're really doing this?" Elliot asked.

"We're really doing this," Olivia answered. "It'll be fine."

And he couldn't help but believe her.

Thursday night, Kathy had taken the kids to the party store to pick out the last of the stuff for the treat bags for Sunday's bowling party with the kids from school. He asked why they needed treat bags when they were already paying $8 a head plus shoes to bowl, but Kathy just told him to hush and leave it alone.

He wasn't sorry they were out of the house because it gave him some alone time to talk to his Mom.

"Mama, what are you making for dinner," Elliot asked, joining her in the kitchen. "Smells good."

"Chicken Cordon Bleu," she said. "This used to be your favorite as a kid."

"It did," he said. "Can you listen while you cook?"

"Something on your mind, honey?" she asked.

"Just want you to know a few things about the party on Saturday," he said.

"I know, take my medicine and be on my best behavior," Bernie said in a mocking tone. "Don't scare away Kathy's prissy family."

Elliot couldn't help but chuckle.

"Sure, Mama, but there's one more thing," Elliot said. "Olivia and her family are coming to the party."

"Your lovely partner, Olivia?" Bernie asked. "Kathy know about that?"

"It was her idea," Elliot said.

"Really?" Bernie said, arranging the chicken in the dish. "Is she feeling okay?"

"She said she's trying to understand my life better," Elliot said. "And Olivia's a big part of that."

"Bigger than she even knows," Bernie quipped.

"You can't say stuff like that on Saturday, Mama," Elliot said. "Olivia and I both know you know. But Chelsea doesn't, and Olivia's husband doesn't, and nobody else who lives in this house knows either. So you have to keep it to yourself."

"I'm crazy, not senile," Bernie said, slipping the pan into the oven. "I won't say anything."

"Even when you see Chelsea?" Elliot said. "Because I know how you are about your grandchildren. You just can't help yourself."

"Yes, even when I see Chelsea," Bernie said. "All Kathy's little cousins love me and treat me like a grandma, it won't even look out of the ordinary."

"That's because you used to let them paint your face with your acrylic paints, Mama," he said.

"Well, they still like me either way," she said. "And Chelsea will too. And she'll never know. Quit worrying."

Elliot didn't get to say anything else because the rest of the family piled in from the garage, arguing about plate colors or something, and he figured that was his cue to make an exit.

He and Liv didn't talk about the party on Friday at work because they were wrapped up in a case, but Elliot didn't sleep a wink that night. He kept tossing and turning and fretting about how the situation could play out. He was dead on his feet when it was time to fire up the grill and wait for guests to arrive. He realized Liv probably wouldn't know to come around to the backyard when she got there, so he sent her a quick text to tell her before he started getting the food together.

Kathy's family started filing in right at one, but the wasn't any sign of Liv. He checked his phone, but no response to his text either. The closer it got to 1:30 he thought she'd bailed, until he heard the gate squeak open and in walked two of his favorite people, and one of his absolute least favorite ones.

Chelsea looked adorable, dressed just like the other kids in a little denim skort and a yellow t-shirt, her hair was french braided and she had little sunglasses sitting on top of her head like her mother. And Olivia looked radiant, in a sundress and sandals, completely different from how she looked at work, or even when she's dressed casually around him. Mark looked like a dork ready for a business meeting on a yacht, but Elliot didn't want to pay him too much mind.

Both girls looked around nervously. Olivia, who could command a squad room with one glare looked lost in his backyard, and something about it warmed his heart. She finally caught sight of him over at the grill and he lifted a hand to wave. She waved back and pointed him out to Chelsea, who got a smile on her face, took Olivia's hand and began to walk his way.

Ready or not, his worlds were about to collide.


A/N: Quick note about some trolling in the comments recently, not just on my story but others.

1. Most of us do this as a hobby, or to practice our writing skills. Yes, there will be typos from time to time. This isn't author-quality published work. It's just for fun. No need to point out every misspelling or missing comma. But of course, for major things, like Maddi enlightening me about BPD, which is a genuine issue for people, absolutely give us the heads up. That matters to people, a missing comma is just a mistake.

2. If you go back and read this real closely, I've jacked the timeline up on this multiple times already. I made the twins 9 months old in one chapter and 5 years old in the next. I got Burton's age wrong earlier in the story. I don't actually even know how old Maureen is supposed to be. This is all just for fun, and it's not prominent enough to be that jarring so I haven't gone back and fixed things. Even canon doesn't get things right all the time. They told us at one point Elliot has siblings, but once Bernie entered the scene, it seemed like he was an only child. For all our sakes, he's an only child in this story.

3. Just be kind to each other. Operating by the rule: "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." If I read a story that isn't my bag, I normally just don't leave a review. Or, try to find something that I did like about it and comment on that. The world is already such a mess so let's just be nice to each other? It has to start somewhere. For writers especially, getting stuff ripped apart without any constructive criticism or suggestions can make people want to stop writing altogether. Don't be the person who makes somebody lose their passion for it because they're still learning or experimenting.

Okay, PSA over, and you know I love reviews. Both good and constructive, just think about how you word stuff in reviews here and beyond.